Using National Statistics to Increase Transparency of Large Land Acquisition Evidence from Ethiopia

The Policy Research Working Paper Series disseminates the findings of work in progress to encourage the exchange of ideas about development issues. An objective of the series is to get the findings out quickly, even if the presentations are less than fully polished. The papers carry the names of the authors and should be cited accordingly. The findings, interpretations, and conclusions expressed in this paper are entirely those of the authors. They do not necessarily represent the views of the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development/World Bank and its affiliated organizations, or those of the Executive Directors of the World Bank or the governments they represent. The 2007/08 commodity price boom triggered a 'rush' for land in developing countries. Yet, many affected countries lacked the regulatory infrastructure to cope with such demand and reliable data on investors' performance. This study uses the example of Ethiopia to show how simple improvements in administrative data collection can help to address this by (i) allowing assessment of the productivity of land use and taking measures to increase it; (ii) comparing productivity between large and small farms to identify spillovers and ways to improve these; and (iii) setting in motion a process of continuing improvement. Implications for global investment in this area are drawn out.